Port Douglas Eating: Thala Beach

One of the best meals we had during my recent week in Port Douglas was at Thala Beach, a nature resort with the most incredible views and absolutely delicious food. We were very lucky to get a chance to eat there as it was closed to people not staying at the resort until our very last day, but I’m so glad we persisted and got ourselves a table!

Thala Beach is located about a 15-20 minute drive out of Port Douglas, back towards Cairns and when I said the view were gorgeous I wasn’t kidding! I thought there was hardly any place as beautiful as Costa Rica. By the way, the hotel cost to stay in Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica is quite reasonable. But it appears there is so much more to explore. The dining room is open on all sides and is full of beautiful wooden furniture making it a pretty special place to have lunch.

Port Douglas Eating: Thala Beach

We weren’t alone either, in the tree in front of where we were sitting was a little pool of water which was visited by different kinds of birds and even a huge monitor lizard while we were enjoying our food which was pretty wonderful!

Port Douglas Eating: Thala Beach

As for the food, we started with a serve of the bread and homemade roasted garlic hummus ($15.30) which was an excellent way to begin while we perused the menu.

Port Douglas Eating: Thala Beach

My mum is a huge seafood fan so went with the Chilled Seafood Plate ($25.50) which came with prawns, mussels, Moreton Bay bug, oyster and smoked salmon, along with a series of sauces. She absolutely loved the variety and flavours and despite being from the entree list it was pretty reasonably sized!

Port Douglas Eating: Thala Beach

She also ordered the Tomato Salad ($14.30) which was served with Spanish onion, basil, bread crumbs and stilton cheese. Whilst she realised she probably didn’t need it given the size of the seafood plate she obviously enjoyed it as there was practically nothing left by the time she was done. It was fresh, packed with basil and cheese and a well balanced red wine vinegar dressing.

Port Douglas Eating: Thala Beach

Dad ordered the Yellowfin Tuna Steak ($37.90) which was spice-rubbed and served with a capsicum and orange salsa, roasted potatoes and a jalapeno mayonnaise. It was beautifully presented and apparently was equally as delicious, with a good sized serving of the tuna and lots of perfectly cooked potatoes (which is saying something, my mum is the master of roast potatoes!). There was absolutely nothing left on the plate by the end which is always a good sign in my books!

thala-review-5Port Douglas Eating: Thala Beach

My sister and I ordered the same dish, the Signature Salad with added turmeric goat’s cheese ($27.90) which consisted of mixed greens, coriander, mint, red onion, bean sprouts, macadamia nuts, freshly grated coconut and a ginger, chilli and coconut oil dressing. It was one of the best salads I have eaten in a long time, with a huge range of textures and flavours and a huge amount of the turmeric goat’s cheese. I particularly loved the crunchy, whole macadamias, the fresh coconut and the spicy, zesty dressing. Seriously, this was one spectacular salad!

Port Douglas Eating: Thala Beach

Even though we definitely didn’t need anymore food my sister and I ordered a dessert to share, going with the mango mousse filled eclair ($19.90) which was served with coconut sorbet, passionfruit curd and a macadamia nut crumble. It was a really well balanced dessert and it wasn’t overly sweet either which was a definite plus. There were lots of delicious textures and flavours, with the sorbet and crumble an excellent addition. We may not have needed it but we sure did enjoy it!

Port Douglas Eating: Thala Beach

Overall we had a wonderful meal at Thala Beach and whilst it wasn’t cheap it was a pretty special way to spend a few hours whilst on holidays. In fact, it’s the kind of place I’d love to be able to stay at in the future, the surrounds were so peaceful and beautiful and with food like that why wouldn’t you go back!

Lunch at Thala Beach was pretty special – where’s the best meal you’ve had lately?

Ospreys at Thala Beach Nature Reserve Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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